Dallas Sports Blog

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But what about ...

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Nothing, in other words, like Dirk Nowitzki's historic performance last night at American Airlines Center.

In the most dominating, productive 12 minutes of basketball in Dallas Mavericks' history, Dirk willed and skilled his team to an improbable comeback victory over the Utah Jazz. With a colossal combination of determined drives, in-rhythm 3-pointers, step-back jumpers and one-legged H-O-R-S-E shots - and, let's not forget, an assist from Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, who stubbornly tried to guard Dirk one-on-one with Mehmet Okur - the best player in team history produced the best performance in team history.

29 points. In the fourth quarter.

"Phenomenal," said Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle. "I put it right up there with some of the stuff Larry Bird pulled off. And some of the all-time greats. It was something to behold."

Aguirre was my man. In college, I proudly displayed his McDonald's life-sized poster on the wall of my sports editor's office at UTA's Shorthorn student newspaper. But he needs to skootch a bit. Because he never dominated like Dirk.

​If your name is Newy Scruggs, Laura Dean-Mooney or Jesus H. Christ, you have permission to stop reading. The rest of you, I'd like you to think back to the last time you were driving while drunk, schnockered, intoxicated, tipsy, under the influence or, if you prefer, merely buzzed.

Last week? Last month? Last year? Last night? Whatever. I've done it. We've all done it.

Shame on us.

The latest reminder about the consequences of one of the dumbest decisions we make in life comes courtesy of Dallas Mavericks' assistant coach Popeye Jones. I've known Popeye for 15 years, since he was the hard-working, over-achieving, dirty-working forward on a mid-'90s Mavs team that featured Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. I was there the night he produced a 20-point, 20-rebound game against the Boston Celtics in 1995.

He's a smart, great guy.

Who last Sunday made a horrible decision. Ring a bell?

Maybe the sweet new baby blues are lucky?

​After attending last Tuesday's sluggish opener at American Airlines Center, I didn't exactly think the Dallas Mavericks were a hideous outfit that would miss the playoffs. But I certainly didn't see them beating the Los Angeles Lakers.

Maybe: 1) The Washington Wizards don't suck. 2) The Mavs don't either.

Hung out Sunday afternoon at a party that included Mavs' radio voice Chuck Cooperstein. Fresh back from L.A. where the Mavs completed an unprecedented weekend sweep of the Lakers and Clippers, he was honestly geeked about his club.

"I really like what I see in this team," said Coop. "It's got the potential to be really, really good."

After Friday night, you dare disagree?

​10. There was some good news out of the Dallas Mavericks' hideous 102-91 loss to the Washington Wizards last night at American Airlines Center. Bruce Hornsby - a long-time buddy of head coach Rick Carlisle - played a stirring National Anthem on the piano. (But, dude, he has the limpest/wimpiest of handshakes.)

9. The other positive was that Dirk Nowitzki is still terriffic. And he got a pre-game haircut. Not his traditional sheared buzz cut, but he no longer looks like a GEICO caveman.

8. The Wizards, playing without co-star Antawn Jamison, dominated in the paint. I mean dom-uh-nate-id. During one ugly sequence in the second quarter center Brendan Hayward had uncontested dunks on three consecutive possessions. The Mavs tried Erick Dampier, Drew Gooden, Nowitzki and Krys Humphries at center, all with varying degrees of suck. At one point Carlisle looked down his bench, stared, then turned back to the game. Coulda sworn his thought bubble read "Damn, I wish I had Marcin Gortat."

7. Shawn Marion is a good player. Very athletic. Long. But if last night is any indication, he'll do absolutely nothing to erase the national perception that the Mavericks are "soft." Too many times around the rim he settled for a finesse flip shot instead of a strong finish. 

6. Bad night all around. One side of the AAC's new HD video boards was all gotch-eyed. It looked like one of those old picture-in-picture screens, except both screens showed the game with a corner missing. If you're thinking "That doesn't make sense," you're right, it didn't make sense.

Dirk looks excited about the season. You?

​Last time we saw our Dallas Mavericks it wasn't pretty was ugly.

Jason Terry was flopping (only 15 points per game), the defense was floundering (surrendering 115 per game) and owner Mark Cuban was flapping (his gums at Kenyon Martin's mom) in a 5-game playoff loss to the athletically superior Denver Nuggets back in mid-May.

Tonight we can officially bury last year beneath this year as the Mavs open the 2010 season against the Washington Wizards at American Airlines Center. Being that hoops is my first love, I'll be there to see what's what.

With the arrival of Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden offsetting the departure of Brandon Bass, the Mavericks have high, perhaps unrealistic expectations.

"The feeling and the buzz in our locker room is off the charts, literally the best it's been in a good five years," Cuban told me recently. "Every guy here that was a part of that Finals run thinks we have a much better team. It's not even close. If you compare rosters we're a far better team than that Finals team. We're deeper. More athletic. Defensively and offensively we have more flexibility. This year it's like 'Oh my goodness.' Guys are fired up. It's a whole different feeling. I'm excited."

Says Terry, "We have the best chemistry we've had since I've been here."

And second-year head coach Rick Carlisle? "This is a team that we feel is a better team than last year's."

In its inaugural NBA Power Rankings, ESPN pegs the Mavs at No. 6.

The Mavs in 2009 won 50 games and won a playoff round as the West's No. 6 seed. Why the optimism this year? ...

​Not sure they're exactly akin to LASIK eye surgery or Tommy John arm reconstruction, but I agree with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that - at some point in our athletic evolution - there will be a legal, legitimate place for steroids in sports.

"I'll get killed for saying this," Cuban said during a speech at the University of Pittsburgh this week, "but I'm not so against steroids if they're administered under proper supervision and there is no long-term damage."

Even though that sounds as harmless as being handed an empty gun by a police officer, I'm sure we'll hear from the likes of Don Hooton today screaming "Cuban is for steroids!"

But, to be fair, there is some important fine print on the owner's bold backing ...

​With Humble Billy Hayes no longer the Dallas Mavericks' voice at American Airlines Center, the team has whittled 175 candidates down to its Top 10 finalists.

You waste time voting for Dancing With The Stars, might as well cast a vote for something that actually matters:

1. Rodney Blue

2. Doug Branch

3. Tom Gribble

4. Sean Heath

5. Chris Martin

​It wasn't exactly as declarative as when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones injected his all-or-nothing expectations into the season a month ago, but Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes his team is as good - actually, better - than the one that went to the NBA Finals in 2006.

"The feeling and the buzz in our locker room is off the charts, literally the best it's been in a good five years," Cuban told me and Newy Scruggs on 105.3 The Fan yesterday morning. "Every guy here that was a part of that Finals run thinks we have a much better team. It's not even close. If you compare rosters we're a far better team than that Finals team. We're deeper. More athletic. Defensively and offensively we have more flexibility. This year it's like 'Oh my goodness.' Guys are fired up. It's a whole different feeling. I'm excited."

The holdovers from the '06 team are again the nucleus of this year's team - Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Erick Dampier. Howard's coming off off-season ankle surgery. Dirk's new look - shaggy hair, headband - makes him one of those GEICO caveman. Jason Kidd-to-Shawn Marion should be fun to watch.

But it's a looong way from Friday's pre-season game in Washington to June. It's not, however, a stretch to see the similarities between Jones and Cuban.

This dude has zero chance. None.

​Let's see, your Dallas Mavericks have a star with longer hair and a lighter mood.

They have a free Fan Jam Friday night at 7 at American Airlines Center.

And, lookie here, they have an opening at a key position - public address announcer.

With long-time voice Humble Billy Hayes moving from the area because of a family illness, the Mavs need a new voice. Open auditions are Tuesday 4-6 (you must call 214.747.MAVS to reserve a time slot) - call it American (Airlines Center) Idol.

Hayes, under the, um, guidance of owner Mark Cuban, was over-the-top, over-hyper, over-caffeinated. Yes, he was rowdy, loud and proud.

Who in the world could fill his shoutin' shoes? Let's take some stabs at.

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This week's column in the Dallas Observer wasn't more dogpiling on Josh Hamilton, but rather some perspective on how unfairly most of us (yeah, I'm pointing at me) jumped on Josh Howard.

They both screwed up. They both - eventually - apologized. They are both deeply religious dudes.

They both ... get portrayed in the media quite differently.

​Shawn Marion. Drew Gooden. Roddy Beaubois. Quinton Ross.

Count ABC among the non-believers in your new-and-maybe-sorta-somehwhat improved Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs' schedule for next season has them appearing nine times on ESPN, seven times on NBATV, four times on TNT and, um, zero times on ABC's Sunday afternoon showcase. Last year they played the de facto game of the week five times.

Dallas begins its 30th season Oct. 27 at American Airlines Center against the Washington Wizards. Come April 14, it'll likely be another 50-win, playoff season and then ... who knows?

Bounce this way for the full schedule.

The missing link? Or merely the last move?

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Of course, at points during the summer I also thought Marcin Gortat was coming, Brandon Bass was staying and Mark Cuban was losing to the SEC. And, come to think of it - uh-oh - the acquisition of Drew Gooden hasn't made it past Twitter confirmation has it?

Assuming Gooden's coming and the Mavs are saving their bi-annual exception for next summer's juicy free-agent crop, Dallas appears pretty much set.

In summary:

*Nobody else wanted Gooden, yet the Mavs feel he may wind up as their starting center.

*I really liked flashes of Ryan Hollins, but he seems all but gone now.

*Thomas is a bigger, better Matt Carroll, right? Think Walt Williams on Nellie's 2003 team. Also think Carroll is history.

*Looking at the roster, the Mavs will still have trouble guarding athletic centers and - unless Beaubois develops at warped speed - jitterbug point guards. But, then again, who doesn't have trouble guarding those types?

*In the end, Marion, Gooden and Thomas all signed for about half as much as they initially figured to make in free agency. Still trying to decide if this is a good thing.

Let's jump for the roster ...

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To which I say, not bad. Not bad at all. He's no Marcin Gortat or Carlos Boozer or Emeka Okafor, but the 6-foot-10, 250-pound 27-year old journeyman can be a nice fit on a nice team.

Gooden seemingly has the size and skills and athleticism to be difference-making big man in the paint. But there's a reason - after agreeing to a one-year contract worth $4.5 million - that he's now with his seventh team in eight NBA seasons.

The bad news: He's moody. He meanders from the paint. He misses defensive rotations.

The good news: He'll at times keep Erick Dampier off the court.

I've covered the Mavs during both regimes and just let me say unequivocally that in any fight - fist, financial or basketball IQ - I'm siding with Cuban. In my earlier post I hinted at that, by stating that he "usually has his shit together."

Now Cuban is offering his retort. Jules would be so proud.

I'm totally paraphrasing here, but pretty sure it says "Bring it on Junior, because you're full of shit."

I dunno, maybe I'm reading it wrong. Jump, interpret and let me know ... 

Just as Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban is finishing his jig in the wake of beating an insider trading charge from the Securities & Exchange Commission, today comes another legal pothole.

This one from the guy who sold him the Mavericks.

Hillwood Center Partners, which is controlled by Ross Perot Jr., filed a lawsuit against Cuban in state district court in Dallas last week claiming he diverted money from American Airlines Center to make up for financial shortfalls incurred by the Mavericks.

Cuban usually has his shit together when it comes to money.

I know, let's raid the rich basketball heritage of SMU and the Memphis Grizzlies!

Quintin Ross!

Starred at Kimball High School. Starred at SMU. Starred at Bounced around the NBA. I'll let the Mavs trumpet his arrival:

Ross (6-6, 193) joins the Mavericks after spending the 2008-09 season with Memphis. He averaged 3.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 17.1 minutes in 68 games (seven starts) with the Grizzlies. The five-year NBA veteran, who began his career as a rookie free agent with the L.A. Clippers, owns career averages of 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 20.4 minutes in 370 games (158 starts).

"Quinton has been part of the Dallas basketball fabric for many years," President of Basketball Operations Donnie Nelson said. "He played his high school ball under Royce Johnson at Kimball before attending Southern Methodist University. We are happy and proud to bring him home. His athleticism, defensive versatility and experience will add depth to our backcourt."

A native of Dallas, Ross averaged 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 119 games at SMU. He finished his four-year career as the school's fourth all-time scoring leader (1,763 points).

Two questions ...

But let's assume smooth sailing and peer into the crystal basketball. With the Dallas Mavericks eyeing Shawn Marion, this could be their opening-night roster:

Point Guard: Jason Kidd/ J.J. Barea

Shooting Guard: Josh Howard/ Jason Terry/Antoine Wright

Small Forward: Shawn Marion/ James Singleton

Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki/ Brandon Bass

Center: Marcin Gortat/ Erick Dampier/ Ryan Hollins

What would you think about this team?

The Mavs are Pole dancing. Got your $1s ready?

We can no longer confuse the Dallas Mavericks' silence with inactivity.

Let's hope we never confuse Marcin Gortat with the franchise's legacy of Great White Nopes.

The Mavericks last night agreed to re-sign 36-year-old point guard Jason Kidd to a three-year, $25 million contract and inched closer to landing a new starting center as the Orlando Magic seem unwilling to match their offer for the 6-foot-11 Gortat.

After a week on the sidelines while the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Ron Artest, Ben Gordon and Richard Jefferson found new addresses, the Mavericks are on the verge of inking their starting point guard and center for next season.

So, you jazzed or what?

Love him or not, gotta have him back. Right?

Actually, though NBA free agency is just hatching, Dallas may be already making progress. That is, if you consider re-signing Jason Kidd progress. Kidd may not be the Mavs' most important signing this off-season, but he's by far their most important re-signing.

If Kidd walks - without compensation - I'm crowing about the disastrous Devin Harris trade, re-writing the Steve Nash nightmare and the Mavs immediately nosedive into rebuilding. Kidd isn't a consistently elite point guard anymore, but without him they can wipe "championship" off the 2009-10 grease-board goals.

Good news: Dallas' Only Daily's Eddie Sefko says owner Mark Cuban is already at Kidd's front door in New York, hopefully beating the Knicks to the pitch punch.

More good news: The Mavs have money and bargaining chips to fill their needs.

Though I'm always skeptical when a head coach drafts a player 24th overall and then contends he "pin-pointed" the kid all along - see: Jimmy Johnson on 7th-rounder Leon Lett, circa 1991 - I'm willing to forge into the Rodrigue Beaubois Era with an open mind.

Well, I lied. I won't sit well with Beaubois without pre-conditions. You?

I know the French guard has long arms and mad hops - yes, it's very weird that his YouTube highlight video is set to a song by Michael Jackson - but here's my worry: He ain't gonna play next season. Not quality, crunch-time minutes anyway. Maybe some spot duty here and there, but he's not going to pry the ball from Jason Kidd or J.J. Barea.

In fact, coach Rick Carlisle admitted he couldn't promise that Beaubois (boo-BWAH) would be a rotation player, meaning among the Mavs' eight regulars.

Ugh.

Trade proposal: Mavs Man and tonight's 24th pick for these two prospects?

Like the Dallas Cowboys did a couple months ago, the Dallas Mavericks have made the decision to fortify their roster via quantity, not quality. But in an NBA Draft that features Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden and a bunch of extras, that might not be such a bad idea.

Unwilling and/or unable to move up into the draft's Top 5, the Mavs last night swapped first-round picks with the Portland Trailblazers. The move slides Dallas' pick from 22nd to 24th overall, but also nets it a second-round pick tonight (56th) and another next year.

With Shaquille O'Neal headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers instead of here and with Dallas now trading down, tonight's festivities will likely produce all the commotion of two moths exchanging sign language in a cotton field.

Mike Fisher

It could have been worse.

Hpefully now that he's talking about his ordeal with ex-fiancee Cristal Taylor in Germany it won't be front-page news in Dallas.

"I had some bad judgment," Dirk said yesterday in an interview that made zero sense to me until Google translated, "and that was it."

While former Mavericks D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell hugged and kissed the NBA's Larry O'Brien championship trophy, current Maverick Dirk Nowitzki is left with remorse about hugging and kissing Cristal Taylor.

Though they played in the NBA Finals only three summers ago, in a way the Mavs have never felt farther from a title.

They were overmatched by a Nuggets team which was dismantled by a Lakers team which waltzed to its 15th title. While L.A. plans a parade, the Mavs are ...

So DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell will have a ring but Dirk Nowitzki won't. Yeah, that seems fair.

We all wanted Kobe vs. LeBron. Instead, starting with tonight's Game 1, we got ourselves a sweep.

It's a nice story that the Magic and coach Ron Jeremy Stan Van Gundy beat the Celtics and LeBrons to win the East with a beast in the middle and a bushel of 3-pointers. But this is June basketball, and there's no way Orlando's momentum-laden novelty act beats the more talented, more experienced, better coached Lakers four times.

Or, for that matter, even once.

Imagine the mustaches and pointy ears Cristal Taylor will draw on these chicks in prison.

Not real sure about The Dirty.

Who is this "Nik"? What is a "Shim"? Isn't it a little way late to boast yourself as "the world's first ever reality blogger"?

Whatever. The site has some interesting pics.

Don'tcha think so, Cristal?

Dirk Nowitzki: Still fighting off aggressive attackers

In light of Cristal Taylor's first comments since being arrested at Dirk Nowitzki's house earlier this month, I've heard reactions ranging from "Wow, this is getting juicy!" to "I wonder how Brad Townsend would feel if we started digging into his life?"

The saga reads as if ripped from the grocery-store tabloids: "Basketball star's ex-fiancee is pregnant in jail!"

On one hand Dirk is the face of the Mavs' franchise and if he's been elaborately duped by the mother of his unborn child, it's fascinating and relevant.

On the other hand, Dirk's always been a private guy and he basically pleaded for privacy when this story broke two weeks ago. He never sought attention for his charity work in the past and he doesn't deserve investigative digging now.

Interested in your take on this front-page, breaking news story about Dirk's ex-fiancee's side of the story:

Danny Bollinger

After him, Dallas' draft history this decade gets really bad really quick.

As we prepare to watch the Lakers turn the Thuggets (L.A. in 7) into mere mortals in the Western Conference Finals, let's ponder what the Mavs can do to get back into the NBA's final four.

*Re-sign Jason Kidd?

*A sign-and-trade with Kidd?

*Trade Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse to the Suns for Shaquille O'Neal?

*Use their mid-level exception on a summer free-agent crop highlighted by Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion, Rasheed Wallace, Trevor Ariza, Anderson Varejao and Chris Andersen?

I know a couple things the Mavs definitely will not do. One is acquire the Thugget who called owner Mark Cuban a "coward." The other is ...

Not Jerry Stackhouse per se, but a player just like him.

A player like the Magic's Hedo Turkoglu. A player like the Mavericks' Jerry Stackhouse.

Back on April 8 I mused that the Mavs would miss Stackhouse during the playoffs. Took a lot of shit from folks.

But what do you know, Rick Carlisle agrees.

Danny Bollinger

Was this block/fall Jason Kidd's last stand as a Maverick?

The body was still warm. The emotions, still raw. But when it comes to the Dallas Mavericks, Charles Barkley doesn't give a damn.

"They got problems," the rotund, ridiculous TNT analyst said last night in the minutes after Dallas' elimination by the Denver Nuggets. "They gotta get younger and more physical around Dirk."

Chimed sidekick Kenny Smith, "As currently constructed, this is as good as this team gets."

So, when it comes to looking into the Mavericks' future we can conduct a new autopsy ... or just consult the old ones. Because, despite getting out of the first round for the first time 2006, Dallas' familar holes remain wholly unfilled.

A look in the Mavs' crystal roundball: